In the Marvel Universe, the technologically advanced fictional African nation of Wakanda is home to one of the most elite fighting forces -- the Dora Milaje, who the world at large got to know earlier this year thanks to the runaway success of Marvel Studios' Black Panther film. The women who make up their ranks are tasked with protecting the country, its supply of the mineral known as Vibranium and the Black Panther -- the county's wise and powerful king/national superhero, with a penchant for becoming embroiled in high stake danger.

The Dora Milaje were introduced in 1998 by Christopher Priest and Mark Texeira, and since then have fought side by side with their king in a number of comics, before appearing in live-action in this year's Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War This month, they'll graduate to their own miniseries that teams several fan-favorite members of the Dora Milaje with some of the Marvel Universe's most iconic heroes.

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It all begins in Amazing Spider-Man: Wakanda Forever by novelist Nnedi Okorafor and artist Alberto Jimenez Alburquerque. The action continues in July's X-Men: Wakanda Forever by Okorafor and artist Ray-Anthony Height, and concludes in August's Avengers: Wakanda Forever by Okorafor and artist Oleg Okunev.

CBR spoke with Okorafor about her protagonists, guest star heroes and the antagonist they'll work to defeat -- the comic incarnation of Nakia, who is very different from her Marvel Cinematic Universe counterpart.

CBR: Wakanda Forever takes three prominent members of the Dora Milaje away from the usual characters and environments they regularly interact with, and those characters -- Okoye and the Midnight Angels (Ayo and Aneka) -- have all had some pretty strong arcs in Ta-Nahesi Coates' Black Panther run and Roxane Gay's World of Wakanda series. What do you find most interesting about these characters?

Nnedi Okorafor: This Wakanda Forever storyline is pretty action packed and I enjoy the challenge of characters being characters, even when in action. They each react to situations as only they would. I really got to know Okoye, Ayo and Aneka each on an individual level while writing this, but also how they move in formation. What I find interesting about Okoye, especially, is that she is tough, loyal, controlled and straight-edged, yet at the same time capable of great compassion. With Ayo and Aneka, you have to pay very close attention to see those moments where even a small gesture or comment says a lot about what each thinks of a situation. I really enjoyed those subtle details.

It looks like the primary antagonist of your story is former Dora Milaje, Nakia, aka Malice. She too is a character who has quite a bit of comic history attached to her. So what's your sense of Nakia? What made you want to use her as a foe in this story?

Yes, let me say up front that this Nakia is the Nakia of the comics, not the film. And it must be understood that the Nakia of the comics is very different from the one in the film. She has a whole history, one where she’s… been through a lot. When this story opens up, the Nakia we meet is broken from all that she’s endured and done in the past. She was a Dora Milaje who went wrong and Okoye, Ayo and Aneka have to face this one who used to be one of their own. To be honest, Marvel especially wanted me to deal with Nakia/Malice. Once I took a really close look at her, I knew I wanted to dig into her all the way down to what makes her tick. I love writing complex, flawed characters and Nakia/Malice was a hot mess.

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I imagine one of the big appeals of Wakanda Forever is the chance to bounce your cast off some of Marvel's most iconic characters. In the first issue they'll be working alongside Spider-Man. What's it like writing Peter Parker? What can you share about his dynamic with your cast?

I absolutely loved writing Spider-Man. Writing him came so easy to me; I didn’t expect that. His mouth was always running, he’d get things wrong while trying to make things right, but was always impressive and selfless. And his interactions with the Dora Milaje were awkward, sometimes hilarious and charming.

In X-Men: Wakanda Forever, your cast teams with the titular mutant team. Who are some of the X-Men you especially enjoyed writing in this issue?

I’m a big fan of Storm, so writing her was a joy. There’s a moment when she’s just in her element in an African grocery planning to cook a Kenyan-Wakandan dinner for T’Challa; I’m all about those small details. Also… Nightcrawler. That’s all I’ll say on that.

You bring your tale to a close in August's Avengers: Wakanda Forever. What's it like writing this issue? What can you tell us about the scope and scale of it?

This third issue was an epic exercise in juggling amazing characters. I’m a pretty experienced storyteller and this flexed even my muscles. In this issue, I’ve got so many superheroes in action, all doing important things, with a focus on a central event. It was crazy and cool. There were moments while I was writing it where I’d stop and think, “I cannot believe I’m doing this and actually pulling it off.”

What can you tell us about the supporting cast of Wakanda Forever? Did this series afford you the chance to create any new characters?

No new characters in this one. However, the cast is so packed, that’s not much of an issue. Also, we get to see a new interesting place in Wakanda and learn a bit more about the Dora Milaje (including the fact that they have secrets).

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Finally, Wakanda Forever teams the three Dora Milaje with Marvel characters who are all very different from each other. What does that mean for your narrative in terms of tone and genres?

I’m not a methodical cook who uses character, genre, tone and plot like ingredients and spices to make a meal, I’m an irresponsible mad scientist gardener who plants things intuitively and isn’t afraid of things growing out of control. That’s how I wrote this storyline. I knew that the first would involve Spider-Man, the second X-Men, the third the Avengers and that Nakia/Malice would be involved. I also knew that the Dora Milaje would be in New York; African women who carry futuristic spears in a foreign country. I let the story grow wild, come what may. The result was many vibrant things from the macro to the micro.

I'd like to conclude by underscoring and reiterating for readers that the Nakia in this storyline is not the same as the Nakia in the film. The Nakia in the comics was trained as a Dora Milaje from a very young impressionable age and became obsessed with T’Challa. She eventually left the Dora Milaje, was tortured, then saved and trained by Kilmonger who renamed her Malice, she used the jufeiro herb to manipulate the minds of men… so much. This is addressed in Wakanda Forever, but it’s also good knowing this before jumping in.

Amazing Spider-Man: Wakanda Forever is scheduled for release on June 27.